Manufacture of formaldehyde.



e. CALVERT. MANUFACTURE OF FORMALDEHYDE.

APPLICATION man 020.24. 915. v v Patented! $1111.23, 1917.

/NVE/VTO' 5 J GEORGE CALVERT, 01E LQNIIDUN, ENGJLJD.

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Specificati of hers Patent. Patented d am. @3, THT t.

Application filed December 24, 1915. Serial Ito. M397.

To all whom, it may concern: Y

Be-it known that T, GEoRcn CALVERT, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in the Manufacture of Formaldehyde, of which the following is a specification.

The" invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of formaldehyde by the flameless combustion of methyl alcohol.

More particularly the invention relates to overcome all'these difficulties and provide a safe, compact and eflicient plant for th manufacture of formaldehyde.

According to this invention the methyl alcohol is fed to a-hot rotary carbureter and the carbureted air preferably mixed with steam is passed to the reaction chamber, the

, temperature of which is regulated by steam,

then to a coolor and finally through an absorption chamber, all these being arranged co-axially.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of a suitable plant, and Fig. 2 is a plan. of a part of the same. Fig. 3 is a section of the rotary carbureter.

The methyl alcohol is fed in regulable quantities by a pipe at through a sight feed 5 and onto the rotary part of a fan a of the annular bladed type. The blades may if desired be coated with copper. The inlet d to the fan 0 has a steam coil 6 around it to preheat the air. The air may be preheated or heated in any other way, as for instance by a steam jacket 0' around the casing of the fan. The fan 0 acts as a rotary carbureter of the pulverizing type. In addition to the steam jacket a steam supply a to the fan casing also assists in this casing in prevent ing freezing or excessive cooling, while the presence of such steam or vapor at a later stage in the reaction chamber prevents excessive rise of temperature in the reaction chamber. The delivery from the fan opens into a cone f which in turn opens into a reaction chamber g. This reaction chamberis preferably pierced by vertical flattened tubes k and onstarting-up the plaiit it is suitably heated; The reaction mass within the chamber may consist of copper wool, or coppered asbestos, or silvered or platinized pumice, arranged between partitions of coarse gauze. Its arrangement and composition are well understood and need not be further described or illustrated. This reaction chamber in time becomes heated by the heat generated by the flameless combustion of the methyl alcohol and it is important; that the temperature should not rise too high. To prevent this water may be circulated around the chamber, or steam passed through tubes 7:. or mingled with the ingoing c'arbureted mixture. The Galloway tubes lb tend to keep the reaction chamber at the proper temperature by a cooling draft therethrough as well as assist in,h eating up the reaction mass at starting.

The steam supply to the fan casing may be led by a pipe 0 controlled by a cock to and the cooling or modulating steam for the I reaction chamber 9 may be supplied by a pipe :0 .which directs the steam current through the tubes h. It is of the utmost importance to regulate the temperature of the reaction chamber 9 so that it does not rise above a medium redheat.

As a continuation of the reaction chamher 9 there is a comparatively longcooling chamber z, for instance in a plant where the reaction chamber is about fourteen inches diameter and twelve inches long the cooling chamber 5 may be about six feet long. A nest of cooling tubes 7' may be provided in the cooler section. These may consist of a number of axial tubes passing through the chamber to conduct the formaldehyde', while water is circulated about them by pipes y" and j. Following the cooling chamber is the saturator chamber ranged also to drive a centrifugal pump pwhich returns the liquor from the receiving tank 0 to a distributer g from which it passes through numerous tubes r to the saturating section. The annular bladed fan is preferably driven by an independent motor at the other end of the plant.

The nitrogen, and excess methyl alcohol and other products not absorbed by the water, pass off from the apparatus by a pipe t at the end of the, saturator and are treated further in condensers and dephlegmators in any known manner.

The apparatus itself is characterized by the direct arrangement in series of the combined carbureter and fan, reaction chamber, cooling chamber and saturator without intermediate piping. With this construction there is only a small volume of carbureted air present and should an accidental backfire occur there is no undue rise of pressure as the open inlet end of the fan allows the free expansion of the gases. This greatly minimizes space and wastage and danger. The operation of the plant is very readily controlled by .controlling the feed of alcohol, the air supply and the rate I of circulation of the absorbing liquid.

I claim 1. The method of manufacturing formaldehyde which consists in heating a chamber, delivering air to said chamber, heating said air during its passage into said chamber, feeding methyl alcohol into said chamber, vaporizing said methyl alcohol and instantly expelling it at a high velocity from said chamber together with the heated air,

passing the same through a reaction chamber over a suitable catalyzer to produce formaldehyde, passing the formaldehyde so produced through a cooling chamber and then passing the formaldehyde through an absorption chamber.

2. The method of manufacturing formaldehyde which consists in heating a chamber, delivering air to said chamber, heating said air, feeding methyl alcohol against a rotating fan in said chamber, passing the air and alcohol through a reaction chamber over a suitable catalyzer to produce formaldehyde, heating the reaction chamber, passing the formaldehyde so produced through a cooling chamber and then passing the formaldehyde through an absorption chamber.

3. The method of manufacturing formaldehyde which consists in ber, delivering air to said chamber, heating said air, feeding methyl alcohol against a rotating fan in said chamber, passing the air and alcohol through a reaction chamber over a suitable catalyzer to produce formaldehyde, passing the formaldehyde so producd through a cooling chamber, passing g5 circulating water through the cooling chamsaid absorption chamber heating a chamher out of contact with the mixture, and then passing the formaldehyde through an absorption chamber.

4. Apparatus for manufacturing formaldehyde comprising a rotary fan, a casing for said fan, means for-heating the casing and the fan, means for supplying methyl alcohol to the fan, means for heating the air entering the fan casing, a reaction chamber adjacent to and adapted to receive air and alcohol from the delivery of the fan, an absorbing chamber communicating with the reaction chamber, rotary members in adapted to agitate for circulating ab- Water through said absorbing chamber to dissolve the formaldehyde formed in the reaction chamber.

5. Apparatus for manufacturing formaldehyde, comprising a rotary fan, a casing for said fan, means for heating the casing and the fan, means for supplying methyl alcohol to the fan, means for heating the air entering the casing, a reaction chamber adjacent to and in communication with the delivery of the fan, a cooling chamber the mixture and means sorbing adjacent to and in communication with said reaction chamber, an absorbing chamber adjacent to and in communication with said cooling chamber, rotary members in said absorption chamber adapted to agitate the mixture of air and alcohol therein and means for circulating absorbing water through said absorbing chamber to dissolve the formaldehyde formed in the reaction chamber.

6. An apparatus for manufacturing formaldehyde, comprising in combination a casing provided with an inlet extension, means for heating the casing and the inlet extension, afan within said casing, means for supplying air to said casing, means for supplying methyl alcohol to the fan, a reaction chamber in communication with the casing and adapted 'to receive the air and alcohol blown therefrom by the fan, an absorption chamber communicating with the reaction chamber, a plurality of rotary agitating members in the absorption chamber, and means for circulating water throu h the absorption chamber.

11 apparatus for manufacturin formaldehyde, comprising in combination a casing rovided with an inlet extension, means or heating the casing and the inlet extension, a fan within said casing, means I for supplying air to said casing, means for supplying methyl alcohol to the fan, a reaction chamber in communication with the casing and adapted to receive the air and alcohol blown'therefrom by the fan, an absorption chamber communicating with the reaction chamber, a plurality of rotary agitating members in the absorption chamber,

means for distributing water to the absorpthe reaction chamber, a plurality of rotary agitating members in the absorption chamber, and means for circulating water I through the absorption chamber.

all

9. An apparatus for manufacturing formaldehyde comprising in combination a casing provided with aninlet extension, means for heating the casing and the inlet extension, a fan within said casing, means for supplying air to said casing, means for supplying methyl alcohol to the fan, a reaction chamber in communication with the casing andadapted to receive the air and alcohol blown therefrom by the fan, a cooling chamber communicating with the reaction chamber, an absorption chamber communicating with the cooling chamber, a plurality of rotary agitating members in the absorption chamber, and means for circulating water through the absorption chamber. a p

10. The method of manufacturin formaldehyde, which consists in heating a chamber, delivering air to said chamber, heating said air, feeding methyl alcohol against a rotating fan in said chamber, passing the air and alcohol through a reaction chamber over a suitable catalyzer to produce formaldehyde, passing formaldehyde so produced through a cooling chamber and then passing the formaldehyde through an absorption chamber, and forcing circulating Water through the absorption chamber in contact with the mixture.

11. The method of manufacturing formaldehyde, which consists in heating a. chamber, delivering air to said chamber, heating said air, feeding methyl alcohol against a rotary fan in said chamber, passing the air and alcohol through a reaction chamber over a suitable catalyzer to produce formaldehyde, passing the formaldehyde so produced through a cooling chamber and then passing the formaldehyde through an absorption chamber, and agitating the mixture within the chamber.

12. The method of manufacturing formaldehyde, which consists in heating a chamber, delivering air to said chamber, heating said air, feeding methyl alcohol against a rotary fan in said chamber, passing the air and alcohol through a reaction chamber over a suitable catalyzer to produce formaldehyde, heating the reaction chamber, passing the formaldehyde so produced through a cooling chamber, passing circulating water through the cooling chamber out of contact with the mixture, then passing the formaldehyde through an absorption chamber, forcing circulating water through the absorption chamber in contact with the mixture, and agitating the mixture within the chamber.

In testimony whereof T have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE CALVERT. 

